§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of hospitals in the north-west of England are, or have applied to be, self-governing trusts.
§ Dr. MawhinneyFifty-three per cent. of hospital and community service revenue allocated to North Western regional health authority is currently spent in national health service trusts, or units which have applied to be trusts. From April 1993 there will be eight NHS trusts in the region which provide acute hospital services. The proportion this represents depends on the management configuration of the remaining units, but it is likely that the vast majority will apply to become operational trusts from April 1994.
§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what forecasts she has made for the future ratio in the number of self-governing national health service trust hospitals to district health authority hospitals; and if she will make a statement.
§ Dr. MawhinneyIt is for local managers and clinicians to decide whether to seek NHS trust status, but we anticipate that all providers of NHS services—hospitals, community units and ambulance services—will become NHS trusts. From next April the proportion of hospital and community services revenue spent in NHS trusts will be 63 per cent. or more, depending on the decisions on outstanding third wave trust applications and deferred London teaching hospital trusts. We expect the vast majority of the remaining directly managed units to apply to become NHS trusts in April 1994.